


summer's on it's way

by imnyoung



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, that's it lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-07-23
Packaged: 2018-10-30 13:04:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10877358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imnyoung/pseuds/imnyoung
Summary: In which Doyoung has a crush on the summer camp's art class' model, Jaehyun, who also happens to be in his singing club; Johnny falls head over heels with Taeil, another student, who also happens to be the president of the singing club; and Renjun gets into this mess just because his mother forced him to get classes.





	1. Chapter 1

  
When Renjun announced randomly while lounging in his living room that he felt useless to the core, he didn't expect his mother to hear him at all, much less that she'd actually do something about it.

Being a busybody his whole time during school, Renjun supposes that even he needs a break. And what better way than to laze around all summer? A solid plan if you ask him.

So when his mother had signed him up for summer art classes, Renjun was anything but happy. He was a mama's boy though, so he couldn't refuse his, not when she had looked so hopeful for his appreciation, he couldn't dare say he was disappointed. Renjun supposes he brought this upon himself as well.

It wasn't so bad, art being one of many things that he enjoyed, the theater where they hold the classes was great and air-conditioned, and he was new to the area as well, so it couldn't hurt to look for a few friends.

Apparently, it did hurt. Especially when his easel had dropped from above him, the theater like positioning had some disadvantages as well, though Renjun didn't want to know how his easel had dropped.

A man who looked a few years older than him had quickly approached him while Renjun was holding the back of his head, a bump surely forming. The first thing he had ever said to him was, "Oh my god, kid, I'm so sorry— Oh hey, you draw pretty well, kid."

While the older man was busy admiring his drawing, a man who looked like a bunny came prancing to them, he looks to Renjun with wide eyes, truly spooking the younger into speechlessness. "Oh my god, kid. Are you okay?"

Oddly enough, the first thought Renjun had was, "That's it? No compliment on my art?" However, Renjun was rational and did not express this out loud, instead standing up straight, and nodding gravely.

Which is how Renjun had found himself friends with two men with personalities so diverse, you'd think they were sworn enemies. The older one was a bit weird, and often suddenly says random phrases, but Renjun had a a similar friend back in China so he adjusted to Johnny quickly.

The bunny man was the sort of friend who nagged you a lot, and Renjun didn't have that kind of friend because he was the one who nagged a lot, so he relates to Doyoung pretty well.

The trio had clicked pretty well, and went to summer classes together all the time after their first encounter, since Johnny felt guilty for accidentally hitting a kid, and bought him ice cream on his way home. There, they discover that Renjun lives a block away from where the two share an apartment together.

It's been pretty fun with them around, classes have become less dull, since all they've been drawing was baskets of fruits and a disappointing mannequin last week. On the third week of summer classes, Doyoung finally shuts up when a model enters the theater.

"So, like, you remember Chittaphon, right?" Johnny asks Renjun, who's sitting between the taller and Doyoung, both of them not paying to the proctor and the newly arrived model. Renjun rolls his eyes and sighs, how could he forget Chittaphon? Chittaphon, who lights up the whole room with one hint of a smile? Who Johnny had openly admitted as his crush for the next century? That Chittaphon?

"Yes, hyung. I remember your sad love life." Renjun sighs.

Johnny doesn't pay any heed to the younger's thinly veiled insult, "Yeah, well, recently he..." Then Johnny keeps blabbering on, and Renjun looks to Doyoung to save him from Johnny's tiring love chatter. But Renjun only finds the other staring blankly ahead, and if Renjun was being honest, he looked a little terrified.

"Hyung?" Renjun waves a hand in front of Doyoung's face, interrupting Johnny long enough for him to feel Doyoung's silent distress.

Doyoung doesn't take his eyes off the stage, pointing shakily towards it. "He's..."

Johnny has his whole face to see above his easel, and Doyoung barely can, his eyes and nose peeking out. Renjun, however, really can't see. (He doesn't understand why his mother had signed him up for adult classes with unadjustable easels and chairs, so he often stands.)

Johnny looks over to where Doyoung is pointing at, and he lights up, "Oh hey, look. It's Jaehyun!" He waves enthusiastically, disrupting the proctor and the class' attention.

When Renjun peeks from the side of his easel, Jaehyun, a man with darkish blonde hair that reaches his eyes, looks surprised and a bit embarrassed but shyly waves back with less enthusiasm.

He stuffs his hands back into his pockets, and his eyes roam around until he stares a bit too long to Renjun's left. Then ducks his head, his sneakers suddenly the most interesting thing in the world, the tips of his ears as pink as his jacket.

Doyoung had also ducked his head by time Renjun had leaned back. Hiding behind his easel, Doyoung looked flushed and his pupils were shaking. Renjun hums to himself. _Weird._

"Who's Jaehyun?" Renjun asks, not knowing it would be the trigger to their summer loving drama.

With Doyoung as their first act.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is just a teaser hahaha every chapter features one pairing and i'm not sure about the chapter count either...


	2. Chapter 2

  
The club members have emptied out one by one, leaving Doyoung and Jaehyun to clean the room like they said before. They're almost done, Jaehyun busies himself with cleaning the windows, while Doyoung leans on a table near the door, finished with his share of chores, deep in his thoughts.

It's truly amazing what friendship does to you, Doyoung thinks as he gazes over where Jaehyun is rubbing vigorously at a particular spot.

Jaehyun moved to the neighborhood around the same time he did, and that was before either of them met Johnny. Blockmates for three years and a half, Jaehyun has become his first friend here. Slowly becoming attuned to their environment was an experience he would never forget, because Jaehyun had been there to experience all that with him. All the parks they've spent picnics on and people they've met, the streets they spent hours biking and walking to memorize, the shops and cafes they frequent at any given time of the day, the two of them were practically inseparable.

Many people assumed they were dating, and everytime both of them would wildly wave their hands and shake their heads at them, always, always denying them.

But Doyoung isn't sure when he had thought that wouldn't be so bad, that he wouldn't mind holding Jaehyun's hand and be able to say that yes, they were dating.

Sadly, Doyoung can only dream.

So to correct Doyoung, it's amazing what _attraction_ does to you. Because right now, it's constricting the older's lungs, filling him with feelings that makes him feel warm and smiley and dopey. All this because Jaehyun looks cute with his eyebrows furrowed together while he cleans a persistent stain.

Johnny's voice resounds within him, saying: _Only you can turn dreams into reality, Doyoung. Besides, you guys are best friends! What's the worst that can happen?_

Doyoung breaths out, hand over his chest, chanting in his mind, _what's the worst that can happen?_

Jaehyun walks towards the older, seemingly done with his task while Doyoung's head was in the clouds. His heartbeat grows louder, much like the thudding steps Jaehyun is taking towards him.

Doyoung steels himself, knowing that he is unable to keep his feelings inside any longer. He chants to himself, _what's the worst that can happen?_

"Jaehyun-ah," Doyoung starts, voice shaking but he's got his head high, looking straight towards the other man.

"What's up?" Jaehyun slings his bag on his shoulder and stands right in front of him, looming over where Doyoung is resting his weight on a table.

"Don't freak out, okay?" Doyoung gulps audibly and he sees Jaehyun start to look concerned, and the older frets, maybe he should just cut to the chase. "I like you. F-for a while now." Shit, did he just stutter? In front of Jaehyun? God, he'll never live this down.

"You what?" Jaehyun asks, taking one step backward, eyes wide and shaking. The grip on his bag tightens ever so slightly, but Doyoung sees it, hyperaware of everything and what's probably going to happen.

 _Shit_ , this wasn't what Doyoung had foreseen. He's slightly aware that he's panicking, hearing the rush of blood in his ears, palms sweating. He's panicking but Doyoung isn't the type to leave things hanging. He still needs to finish what he started, regardless of rejection, "It's fine to say no, or say we should just be friends, or like cut all ties with me, that's just fine." Doyoung blabbers, eyes fixated on the ground.

Jaehyun probably wants to get away, judging from his reaction. Doyoung suddenly feels ashamed for ruining what they had and wishes he'd thought this through a bit better.

He sighs frustratedly and runs a hand through his hair, "Fuck me. Sorry it had to be like this." He turns away from Jaehyun and to the door, giving him a miserable glance, "Um, bye."

Doyoung runs for the door, bumping Jaehyun in his rush to get out, and get away _now_. He thinks he hears Jaehyun calling out his name, but he chalks it up as his imagination. Doyoung doesn't look back, and tears don't come, since he hadn't expected reciprocated feelings from the other. He didn't know what he was expecting.

One thing comes to mind as he speedily walks home though: _This is the worst._

 

 

 

"—He'll be with us for this week's class, so I hope you get familiar with him soon." The proctor says, but Doyoung only hears it as a blur. He hears his heartbeat in his ears again, and this time there's guilt mixed with shame when he looks at this week's model.

"Guess there's no more need to get familiar, right Doyoung?" Johnny snipes from where he's seated. Doyoung glares at him from behind his easel, effectively hiding himself from Jaehyun.

"Hey," Renjun whines, tapping away at his easel to get their attention, "Who's Jaehyun? Your friend?" The youngest asks Doyoung, who opens his mouth but pouts when Johnny butts in.

"Hell no, they're _'strangers with memories'_ , my dear Renjun." Johhny pushes his hair up and gives Doyoung an exasperated stare, he drones about just like the proctor on the stage. "Ever since Idiot #1 over ran away and started avoiding him all of the sudden," Johnny turns his look to the model in front, frowning as if it's his problem, "and Idiot #2 over there makes it pretty clear what he wants, but can't seem to make a proper choice." Johnny sighs, shaking his head while leaning on the easel, and Doyoung worries it might fall down on someone again.

Doyoung scoffs, not daring to look over his easel to see Jaehyun making himself comfortable on the stage. "Shut up, you don't get it." He pouts and Renjun looks thoughtful enough not to mention it but Johnny is a fucking blabbermouth.

"Hey, don't take it out on me, I'm just saying that I think it's stupid that you're avoiding him now when everyone knows you guys are best friends." Johnny shrugs, mindlessly drawing figures in the air while they wait.

"Um, we aren't doing figure drawing today again, right?" Renjun asks meekly, peeking from his easel.

Johnny snorts, while Doyoung's eyes widen marginally and he almost screams when Jaehyun starts taking off his pink jacket. "Doyoung is probably thinking the money he paid for this is worth it." He laughs, but Doyoung ain't having any of it.

Oh god, it's really happening, Jaehyun's their first model and he's going to strip naked. In front of all these people. But Doyoung doesn't want them to see Jaehyun naked, only _he_ gets to see it. But then again, this may be the only time he'll see Jaehyun like this. _Oh god, is he a pervert?_

The room feels hotter, and so does his face. Doyoung already feels like dying, but his eyes don't leave Jaehyun's form, and he's aware that the said man is looking straight at him.

Jaehyun holds the end of the big shirt he's wearing underneath the jacket, and Doyoung feels like he can breathe again when Jaehyun drops it, eyes leaving his to sit on the chair provided on the center of the stage.

At this, Doyoung also sits back on his chair, no longer leaning towards Jaehyun, no longer on edge. He's breathing faster and he feels disheveled, although he's done nothing but sit in an air-conditioned room. He hears Renjun mutter, "Listen to the proctor next time, Hyung. You're a mess."

 _Yes, Renjun,_ Doyoung thinks, _I'm aware._

 

 

 

Two poses and forty minutes later, the warmth on Doyoung's cheeks hasn't dissipated and probably won't anytime soon.

Jaehyun's currently sitting on a simple wooden chair, legs spread out slightly as he leans forward with his elbows resting on his knees. He's got his chin on his palm like he's bored, but the look on his eyes says otherwise.

There's a tension in the air that the whole class doesn't seem to feel, but the two beside him keep on snickering while drawing Jaehyun's form. The tension, which is the most apparent to him, is making it hard to draw, and this isn't because Doyoung is feeling so awkward that he can't even look over Jaehyun, but it's because it's _Jaehyun_ who's making him feel like this in the first place.

Jaehyun's eyes never leave his spot for even a moment, and everytime Doyoung as so much glances over and their eyes meet, it's like the air inside the theatre is electrifying. Doyoung can feel his piercing gaze from behind his easel, and it's taking just about everything for his heart to not jump out of his chest.

And the thing is, Doyoung can save himself the electryfying gazes and his heart leaping from his throat, but Jaehyun looks too good. _God,_ he looks really good.

Jaehyun's wearing a maroon shirt that has some sort of ominous-looking text on it, and it's a bit big on him, but he always looked good in those. His shirt is tucked into some ripped denim pants, paired with his white shoes that he always uses.

He has always had a good sense of fashion, people always complimented him for it. And it doesn't help that he always aims for the 'boyfriend' type of look (according to Taeil, but Doyoung only sneered at him and asked, "What do you know about fashion?").

It's got Doyoung hooked. All over again.

Of course, Doyoung didn't expect his feelings to go away in the span of two and a half weeks but he already convinced himself that they've at least lessened, even if it's only a small margin.

Feeling his heart thudding from out of his chest, it seems that it came back in full force, the weeks of talking to himself in the morning proving to be useless as soon as Jaehyun does something as little as look at him. Or breath the same air as him.

Doyoung knows it, _he's fucked._

With clammy hands and cold sweat, he looks over his easel, glancing at their model. However, he hides just as quick as he looked. With a small 'eep', he crouches behind his easel, ignoring Renjun's incredulous gaze towards him.

 _"Fuck, why is Jaehyun staring so much?"_ Doyoung thinks, forehead leaning on his easel, eyes scrunched together as he tries to keep his shit together.

With a sharp outtake of breath, he steels himself to look, and examine, and observe Jaehyun. He will not let his feelings get in the way of his art, and Doyoung is determined to make it that way.

Doyoung peeks over, and he almost, _almost_ hides again, because Jaehyun is _still_ looking, boring holes into his skin, never once leaving his figure.

Doyoung keeps his gaze level, not shrinking away from Jaehyun's gaze. Earlier, Doyoung can't look at him for long, but now, Doyoung can't tear his eyes away. The younger's eyes are so intense, and Doyoung doesn't miss the small smirk that graced his lips as soon as they make eye contact. All of it is making Doyoung feel like the room is hotter than it actually is. It's like Jaehyun wants to convey something to him, but Doyoung can't figure out what it is.

Doyoung doesn't draw anymore, instead he stares at Jaehyun, who's staring at him. He notices things that have changed since they last saw each other, like how Jaehyun's roots have started showing again, and although it would look messy on others, Jaehyun is rocking the look. Or maybe it's Doyoung's own biased opinion. And how Jaehyun keeps glancing to his side sometimes, probably curious on who's between him and Johnny. Maybe Doyoung should introduce them sometime soon. If Jaehyun would let him.

Seeing Jaehyun for the first time in two weeks makes Doyoung's heart swell and tighten at the same time. They've always been together, the most they haven't seen each other was two days, and just suddenly avoiding him was suffocating. But now seeing him reminds him of how he missed him so much, and it replays the memory of Jaehyun's wordless rejection. It should hurt, but Doyoung finds that he can't feel anything but the relief of seeing Jaehyun again. It also doesn't help that Jaehyun's looking at him with _that_ look, the same look he does when he sees something he wants to remember, a look he gives Doyoung sometimes when e thinks the older is looking.

It's the same intense gaze that drew him in and never let him look away. It's the same look Doyoung fell in love with.

And now, with small chatter filling the theater, paint staining his hands, and an electrifying gaze that doesn't leave his, Doyoung, the damn fool, falls in love all over again.

 

 

 

Class today goes smoothly, and all Doyoung wants is to get the hell out. Too bad Renjun chooses today to pack up slowly, laughing when Doyoung stomps his feet when he urges the younger to go faster.

"Johnny hyung wasn't kidding when he said he made it clear he liked you. He was literally staring the whole time!" Renjun beams, unnervingly happy at the way Doyoung's scowl deepens. They're making their way down the stairs when Johnny suddenly chortles.

"Yeah, it made me a bit uncomfortable, dude. Maybe you guys should just date." Johnny and Renjun laugh simultaneously, arms linked together as they walk. Doyoung only rolls his eyes from behind them, not wanting to speak about Jaehyun when he could potentially hear him. Thankfully, they're already in front of the exit, Johnny's halfway through opening the door when a very familiar voice shouts his name.

"Wait!" Jaehyun calls, and the three of them visibly freeze. Doyoung, especially, starts to sweat, all of their attention turned to the guy running to them.

Jaehyun arrives and there's another guy walking behind him. Johnny's eyes look like they're about to pop out of their sockets and Renjun is giving him a scrutinizing look, examining him from head-to-toe. Doyoung doesn't want to imagine what he looks like right now.

"Hey, can I borrow Doyoung hyung for a while?" Jaehyun asks, hand already holding the sleeve of his shirt. Doyoung feels like hell is about to freeze over.

The theater is already empty, save for Jaehyun, the three of them, and the guy behind Jaehyun. It's silent amonsgst them and almost awkward. Doyoung can only look at Jaehyun in an attempt to read his intentions.

"Um, Jaehyun—" Doyoung starts, eyes darting from his face to the guy beside him. He can't look at Jaehyun's face this close for too long, it's bad for his health.

Johnny seems to have woken from his stupor, and is now grinning unabashedly, "Jaehyun, buddy, I got you." He motions for the guy beside Jaehyun to come closer, and to Doyoung and Renjun's surprise, he does. "Don't worry, I'll bring the kids home, you guys have fun on your date!" Then they're gone, both kids dragged along with him.

The silence between them heightens when the doors creaked closed, the echoing of it making Doyoung feel a lot more nervous now that he is truly alone with Jaehyun.

Jaehyun, on the other hand, tries to look casual and chill but Doyoung knows better than that. The way he's wiping his palms on his jeans says otherwise.

"Hey." Jaehyun starts, sliding his hands into the pockets of his jeans, rocking back and forth.

"Hi." Doyoung says back, then it's silent again. He can tell that Jaehyun hadn't planned this far, and that he has nothing to say to him.

Doyoug sighs, contrary to everything he had said, even though Doyoung got rejected by the other, he doesn't want to stop being friends with Jaehyun.

So with all the confidence he could muster, he says, "So... I didn't know you signed up for modeling." Doyoung resigns himself to starting the conversation, since he's always been the more talkative between the two of them.

Jaehyun lights up, and Doyoung almost coos, he's almost like a puppy who got praised. "Yeah, I didn't expect it myself but my cousin is a bitch and wouldn't do it if I didn't."

Doyoung remembers the handsome guy from earlier. "Was he the guy from earlier?"

"Yeah, you looked pretty surprised when he went with Johnny, huh?" Jaehyun teases, dimples showing as he smiles.

"Yeah, what's wrong with that guy? Johnny looks like a creep." Doyoung inwardly shivers, even Renjun had expressed how intimidated he was by Johnny.

Jaehyun laughs, eyes crinkling at the sides. "His name is Lee Jeno, he's part of the dance club with me and Johnny, so naturally, they'd be friends."

Doyoung doesn't remember a Jeno being mentioned by either Jaehyun or Johnny, so he assumes that he's new to the neighborhood.

Jaehyun fidgets, looking straight at Doyoung, who always can't look away from those hazel eyes. It makes him afraid that maybe Jaehyun can see the longing in his eyes. He doesn't say anything about that though, instead he meekly asks, "Hyung, let's get out of here."

Doyoung doesn't hesitate, of course, "Yeah, let's."

 

 

 

Somehow, they end up in the newly opened ice cream shop three blocks away from the theater. The walk there was comfortable enough, talking like the old times, about anything and everything.

They talk about his cousin, then Jaehyun asks about Renjun. Which is how Doyoung ends up retelling the story of how the three of them met and became fast friends, which is also how Jaehyun ends up falling over in his seat, the shop's other patrons looking at Jaehyun funnily.

Doyoung laughs with him, a small part of him wishing Jaehyun was there with him. He feels like Renjun would like Jaehyun. "Hey, if you'd like, I could introduce you to Renjun." Doyoug offers, digging his spoon into chocolate mint ice cream and eating.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Jaehyun giggles for a bit, before adding, "I feel like Jeno and him would make good friends."

"You think?" Doyoung barks a laugh, pointing the tip of his spoon at Jaehyun, who's sitting across him. "If you say he's half as friendly as you are, then that'd be an understatement."

"You saying I'm friendly, hyung?" Jaehyun places his chin on his palm, smiling widely at him.

"Am I? Or are you hearing compliments coming from me again?" Doyoung says, laughing at the way Jaehyun's ears immediately turn red.

"I told you to forget about that already!" Jaehyun whines, jokingly kicking Doyoung under the table.

It was comfortable, being with Jaehyun again. They don't mention anything about his confession, and Doyoung is glad for it. He missed being able to talk with Jaehyun, and his laughter, and he just, he really missed Jaehyun.

The sun starts to set when the go to the pizza place after that, craving something salty after all the ice cream they ate. Mark, the pizza place's delivery boy, comments about their whereabouts since they order from them at least once a week, which isn't very healthy, but it's the most convenient for the two of them.

"Where've you guys been? I've been waiting for your call for weeks!" Mark whines, head resting on his arms at the side of the counter, not bothering to help Donghyuck at the cashier.

The duo's smile fades as soon as the words leave the younger's mouth, uncertain of how they were going to answer the other's question. From the corner of his eye, Doyoung sees Jaehyun look to him for an answer.

"Uh, can't we just feel like eating healthy? This roll of grease isn't the only food we eat, idiot." Doyoung says, reaching out to flick Mark's forehead but he stands up quickly, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Wait a minute, you guys are acting a bit weird..." Mark squints, as if he could see the problem with his own eyes.

Jaehyun looks to Doyoung before grabbing his arm. "Yeah, well, good luck with that. And tell Donghyuck we'll get the usual." Jaehyun pulls Doyoung away, rushing to the farthest table from the Canadian's snooping eyes.

Jaehyun seats himself in front of Doyoung, the intense look from the theater earlier back in his eyes. Doyoung feels his heartbeat quicken, and his eyes widen when Jaehyun boldly reaches for his hand across the table gripping it tightly while maintaining eye contact.

"Jaehyun-ah..?" Doyoung slips out in his surprise, gulping at the sight before him, an orange glow from the sunset outside illuminating the younger's face.

Jaehyun licks his lips, eyes darting to their hands before he sees resolve in Jaehyun's eyes. "Hyung, the past two weeks without you, I..." Jaehyun gulps audibly, fingers twitching but he tightens his hold, dimples showing in the small smile he gives Doyoung.

"I really missed you." Jaehyun says and his voice holds so much finality that Doyoung's heart can't help but skip a beat.

Doyoung wants to say so much in return, but he isn't too sure if Jaehyun means it as a friend. If Jaehyun's just glad his best friend Kim Doyoung is back for good, the Kim Doyoung who has feelings for him gone.

But somewhere, in the deepest part of his still bruised heart, he starts hoping, and he knows it.

 

 

 

Doyoung comes home late, good mood from their impromptu date, although Doyoung doesn't say this out loud and instead internally dances whenever he mentions it to himself. But no, it wasn't a date, merely a small catching-up from the past two weeks. He's sure he has hearts floating around him and he's radiating rainbows from every hole.

Johnny wasn't downstairs by the time he went home, presumably holing himself upstairs in his room for god-knows-what. So Doyoung didn't have to deal with endless teasing and crude jokes about him and Jaehyun. Not that that would put a damper in Doyoung's mood.

He heads straight for his room, smart enough to not make much noise lest Johnny comes out of his room. It's only after he closes his bedroom door that he realizes how quick his heartbeat is in the silence of his room. And how he hadn't stopped smiling the whole time while going home.

Doyoung plops himself on his bed, back flat and his fingers intertwined on his stomach as he thinks about today. Everything was as normal as it could be, Jaehyun still initiates skinship and Doyoung still blabbers. But one memory had stood out from the rest, _why had Jaehyun said all that, all the while looking as serious as he did?_

There's two possibilities: one that is highly likely, and one that Doyoung would like to entertain even though it will bite him in the ass later on.

He's restraining himself in these thoughts, because how many people who have feelings for their best friends get reciprocated? It's a low chance (believe him, he searched it), and Doyoung doesn't want to be the sort of friend who imagines his best friend in a scenario that will never be.

Doyoung sighs, and puts an arm over his eyes. Maybe he should stop thinking about this so hard and just start talking to himself in the mirror everyday in the morning again. He should just forget his feelings ever existed, maybe then he and Jaehyun would stop being in this predicament.

The violent vibrating in the pocket of his pants makes Doyoung jump, before fishing his phone out of his pocket. He's pleasantly surprised to see it's a message from Jaehyun.

**From: yoooonoh**

**hey hyung it's late but lets get coffee tmrw? my treat :)**

Doyoung reads the message again and again, bringing a smile to his lips. He replies quickly.

**To: yoooonoh**

**oki, 8am @sun &moon?**

**From: yoooonoh**

**alright see u hyung ^^**

Doyoung closes his eyes and sighs happily, _"Everything is gonna go back to normal, everything is gonna go back to normal."_ He chants in his mind, slowly loosening his grip on his phone, and giving himself up to sleep.

 

 

 

When Doyoung wakes, it isn't because birds are singing outside his window, nor is the sunlight hitting his face in a radiant morning glow. It's because his phone is angrily vibrating on his chest, where he had passed out in his clothes from yesterday.

Doyoung sits up quickly, eyes wide as he sees the digital clock on his bedside, _7:42AM_.

It's Jaehyun calling, the familiar photo taken by him still seen by his blurry eyes. He answers the call while he rids himself of his pants, hoping that his voice isn't obviously groggy. "Yes, hello?"

There's static on the line, then Jaehyun lets out a breathy chuckle. "Hey, hyung. Did you just wake up?"

Doyoung facepalms himself, cursing under his breath. "Fuck, is it that obvious?"

"Well, yeah."

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, I forgot to make an alarm." He pulls the phone away to peel off his shirt, before taking clean underwear from a drawer and running off to the bathroom in his boxers. "I swear I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jaehyun is hurried in assuring him, and Doyoung can imagine him waving his arms right now wherever he is. "No need, I'm still home anyway. I'll just walk and meet you there, yeah?"

"Yeah, okay. Sorry again." Doyoung sighs, starting to check the temperature of the shower.

Jaehyun is chuckling an awful lot today, "It's really okay, hyung. I'm used to it."

Doyoung frowns teasingly even if Jaehyun can't see it, "Oh, shut up and start walking, Jung."

"Will do, hyung."

Jaehyun hangs up after that, and Doyoung quickly steps into the still cold shower. He's quick to clean himself, and to dress himself. He takes the black sweatpants folded neatly in his closet and the yellow mustard hoodie Johnny has lying around. Five minutes to eight, Doyoung grabs his wallet and phone before running out their house, deciding to leave Johnny a note in their group chat.

It's always chilly in the morning, even in the summer. The cafe isn't too far away from his house and he gets cold quickly so Doyoung hastens his step and arrives in the cafe fairly early, only ten minutes after he left the house. Doyoung basks in the cafe's heater, feeling a lot like a content cat in the warmth.

Jaehyun notices him as soon as he enters the cafe, hair tussled and eyes still puffy. You know that you always have to look good in front of your crush, right? Right, Doyoung isn't really doing a good job at that.

It's pretty empty at this time of the morning, and Jaehyun looks a bit lonely, sitting alone in the corner by the window. It's a seat they often frequent since it's usually only two of them sipping coffee on a peaceful morning. Today seems like that kind of day.

Doyoung seats himself in front of Jaehyun, who's gripping his caramel macchiato tightly for warmth. Both of his hands curled around his white mug like that makes him look cute. In front of Doyoung though, is a lidded cup.

"Hey, is this mine?" Doyoung asks, pointing to the steaming brown mug that's tempting him.

"Yes, hyung. You're the only person I know who drinks black coffee. Who else could it be for?" Jaehyun says, smiling slightly. Doyoung reaches for his wallet but Jaehyun beats him to it, "No, hey, this is my treat, alright?"

Doyoung furrows his eyebrows together, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. "This is unusual, what's with Jaehyun, suddenly buying me drinks?" Doyoung thinks, but thanks him anyway.

The older of the two leans back into his seat, while Jaehyun remains slouched in front of his coffee. There's soft jazz playing in the background and the almost muted chatter of the other patrons is making Doyoung relaxed.

It's silent between him and Jaehyun, and Doyoung, ever the talkative one, was about to initiate the conversation when Jaehyun beats him to it yet again.

"Man, I'm so nervous." Jaehyun says, laughing shakily while looking directly at his coffee.

This piques Doyoung's interest, since Jaehyun didn't mention anything worth being nervous for yesterday. "For what?"

Jaehyun turns his gaze to him but looks away quickly, he scratches behind his ear and that's what gives him away. The nervous tic he's had after finishing high school. And it's about him, too. "Okay, but don't be too surprised." Jaehyun requests, a sheepish smile on his lips.

Doyoung has a bad feeling about this.

"Alright, I won't." Doyoung crosses his arms over his chest, and prepares for the worst.

Jaehyun exhales, while Doyoung's breath hitches. "Okay, here goes." There's a pause and Doyoung can't seem to look at Jaehyun. "I really like you, hyung..."

Doyoung scrunches his eyes closed, biting his lip as he waits for the inevitable word 'but' to come out of his lips.

Only it never came.

"So, will you be my boyfriend?" Jaehyun asks softly but with finality. It takes Doyoung a while to process what Jaehyun just said, and even then, he can't seem to believe it.

Doyoung snaps his eyes open, finding Jaehyun's eyes already locked unto his. Doyoung gulps, "Um, what."

Jaehyun laughs, eyes crinkling with mirth at Doyoung's confusion. "Will you be my boyfriend?" Hearing it for the second time makes the older speechless, mind struggling to keep up with how fast his heart is racing.

The silence makes Jaehyun nervous as hell and he quickly backtracks, "That is, if you still like me, of course." Jaehyun waits, this must be a lot for Doyoung to process.

It is. Weeks of thinking that you chased away your best friend with your feelings tend to make you think like you're the most unlovable person in the world. It's why he needed to pep talk himself every morning, it's why Johnny signed them both up for classes so that he would stop holing himself up in his room and pitying himself every damn day.

But now, it's all over. Jaehyun likes him back! Jaehyun reciprocates his feelings! They... They could really be boyfriends now without Doyoung having to daydream about it. Jaehyun likes him! And Doyoung still does, too!

So very obviously, his answer would be: "Um, fuck yes I'll be your boyfriend." His voice trembles as he speaks, a mix of happiness and a bit of disbelief.

The unadulterated joy that exudes from the younger makes it more believable. But the wide grin taking over Jaehyun's face really takes the cake. "Oh my god, okay, this is really happening." He laughs openly and loudly, leaning back onto his seat, finally able to relax.

"Wait, I've got a question though, how long have you liked me?" Jaehyun asks, smiling that one-dimple smile he does when he's either fishing for compliments or flattered. In this case, it's both.

Doyoung doesn't mind, at least for now. He answers Jaehyun's question steadily, along with his steadily pinking cheeks. "Aha, about that... I guess it was somewhere between the time we met and started going out a lot." Doyoung rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "I sort of had a crush on you when we met first met."

Jaehyun's eyes widen marginally, and he scoffs disbelievingly. "For that long? Damn, you were really good at hiding it, hyung." Jaehyun smiles almost proudly and clears his throat.

"I think I only realized it after you confessed. I really haven't thought of you in that way before, and you suddenly just saying really took me by surprise. At first, I _was_ going to reject you, because I didn't want to ignore you any longer, I just wanted to be your friend again."

"But then, somewhere in the back of my head, a thought just popped out of nowhere. _Would it really be so bad?_ That stuck with me for a whole day, until I just started thinking about it. You know, stuff like holding your hand, or going on dates, or just talking aimlessly."

"It wasn't that hard to imagine, since we already do those all the time, if you think about it like that. But the thing was, I couldn't stop thinking about _you._ You filled my mind on every waking moment I had, it was like I was a teenager longing for my girlfriend all over again."

"Then it got worse, or better." Jaehyun chuckles, smile widening. "At this point, I really felt like a teen again. 'Cause I kept thinking about how it would be like to kiss you, how would it happen and all that stuff. I started to wonder about how would it feel to wake up with you by my side, and um, you know..." Doyoung doesn't know if he should laugh or cry at Jaehyun's blown eyes and reddening face.

Jaehyun clears his throat, "Anyway, it wasn't hard to realize I liked you a lot, I just didn't think about it back then. I even accepted it with open arms, and I was about to go look for you then my cousin came. Who, for some reason, wanted to go modeling for an art class."

"I refused to go with him on this modeling thing, and I just accompanied him this one time so he could register, then I saw you walking into the building with Johnny, and that's what convinced me to join Jeno. I didn't even think about it, I just signed myself up when I saw you."

"And I just wanted to say I'm sorry I didn't realize earlier. You must have been through a lot. I just really felt like I had to let that out, it's been weighing on my chest for weeks." As if to prove it, Jaehyun lets out a relieved sigh. A hand on his chest to calm his heart down, and a content smile on his lips.

Doyoung puts an open hand on the table, wordlessly asking for Jaehyun's. Jaehyun gives it without a second thought, his grip tight as he intertwines their fingers. "Jaehyun, you don't have to be sorry, what matters to me is now."

Jaehyun nods, pulling his hand closer before kissing the back of it. "Yeah, okay Hyung."

 

 

 

Renjun walks into the theater, art supplies stuffed in his old messenger bag. The theater is noisy, chatter from the other students filling up the space, some are half-asleep still, and some are as hyper as Chenle, his friend from China, on a mountain of sugar.

The Chinese boy approaches his friends, noting how Doyoung is missing but Johnny is already here, head down as he plays a game on his phone. Renjun goes to the spot next to him, and Johnny glances at him before continuing his game.

"Hey there." Johnny greets, eyebrows scrunched together in concentration.

"Good morning, hyung. Where's Doyoung hyung?' Renjun settles down, pulling the materials he needs for the class.

Johnny doesn't answer, not until he dies at the hands of the second boss, he's never been that good at playing video games, anyway. He pockets his phone before turning to him. "Don't know. He was gone by the time I woke up."

"I did message him though, he said I should go on ahead." Johnny adds.

Renjun finishes preparing, and finally sits down, wondering where could Doyoung be. "Did he say where he was going— Woah." Renjun fixes his gaze on the theater's doors, eyes wide and disbelieving.

"What is it?" Johnny turns his seat around, and startles just the same as Renjun. He puts a hand on his agape mouth in surprise.

Entering the theater is Doyoung, but he isn't alone, Jaehyun is with him. The brunette is carrying Doyoung's stuff and they're not holding hands but the way they look at each other while talking is definitely different. Behind him, the guy with Jaehyun from their last meeting follows, Renjun feels bad for the third-wheeler.

Johnny raises an eyebrow and turns to look at Renjun, who's speechless but smiling all the same. "Well, I guess now we know why he's late."

Doyoung takes his bag from the younger and laughs at something Jaehyun says, eyes crinkling in delight. _He looks really happy,_ Renjun notes.

Doyoung approaches them, not bothering to hide his wide smile. He doesn't mind the knowing look Renjun is throwing his way or the teasing comments from Johnny. He takes the seat next to Renjun, turning to them with an excited look.

"Guys, Jaehyun, he—" Doyoung stumbles over his words and doesn't seem to know what to say first, so Johnny helps him.

"Confessed to you?" Johnny throws him an amused look. Doyoung nods shyly before hiding his face in his hands, blushing furiously from his ears up to his neck. Renjun laughs beside him.

Renjun pats Doyoung's knee, "Congrats on the new boyfriend Hyung!" He says cheerily, laughing and almost falling off of his seat when Doyoung swats at him.

"Don't say it like that! I'm not used to it yet." Doyoung places his palms on his cheeks, willing the heat to go away.

"If not now, then when?" Renjun smiles fondly, looking over to where Jaehyun is, only to find him looking at Doyoung, and by extension him.

Jaehyun waves at Renjun and the younger lights up, "Ah, hyung, you told him about me?" Renjun waves back enthusiastically, bothering Doyoung to look at Jaehyun aferwards.

"Hyung, he's looking! Why don't you give him a thumbs up or a finger heart or something."

"Renjun, you brat. Stop it." He peeks at Jaehyun and couldn't stop the smile that stretches his lips at the sight of Jaehyun waving at him though they just saw each other earlier.

Doyoung waves back, while Renjun fakes a gag beside him. Doyoung shoves Renjun off of his seat good-naturedly, and they were still giggling when the proctor comes in, signalling the start of class.

Jaehyun does his thing, posing in front of the class so they can draw him, Renjun makes it so that he draws the man well today, it's his lat day, after all. It's all so disgustingly sweet how he keeps glancing at Doyoung, and the small smiles they throw each other.

Halfway through the class though, it seems that something is off. Renjun feels a bit empty for some reason, and only after he looks around is when he realizes what it is.

"Johnny hyung? What's wrong?" Renjun asks, the tallest of them staring into the crowd somewhere, his eyes are gleaming with something. The question grabs at Doyoung's attention, who looks with worry at his friend.

"Who is that?" Johnny asks back, a bit breathless. There's hints of admiration laced in his voice and he points to someone on the second row.

Doyoung yelps in surprise when he sees the person Johnny is pointing at, "Oh hey, that's Taeil hyung, the president of the singing club! What's he doing here?" Doyoung wonders aloud, rubbing his chin in thought.

Renjun doesn't know him, so he can't really tell him apart from the others. However, he does hear Johnny mumble in wonder beside him, a low voice that Renjun had never heard before, probably reserved only for himself. He says with awe prominent in his eyes and voice:

"Taeil, huh. _He's beautiful._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally done with dojae!!!! this was so hard since i was super busy but i just really wanted to post something dojae related. i think its a bit rushed and its not my best either i dont have time to beta it as well (i'll do it when i have time)... sorry lol
> 
> chant with me: i love dojae with all my life i love dojae with all my life i love dojae with all my life


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